Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-19

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The plans below show a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The plans below show a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The plans illustrate the changes made to a college café following its redevelopment.

Before redevelopment cafe had a large kitchen area on the northern side of the building and inside the kitchen there was a serving area for all food and drinks. Moving further, there is a large area for tables and chairs and the central area contained staff dining rooms.Furthermore, on the east side of this area there is a bin and on the south west side space is occupied by toilets.

Following the redevelopment, the kitchen remains in the same location and serving area is replaced by hot meals items area. A salad bar has been added to the eastern side of the seating area, also the staff dining rooms have been replaced by takeaway food and a coffee bar has been added besides the take-away food area. Recycling bins are placed on bins area and toilets remain in their original location. Barbecue area is introduced in cafe with outdoor seating area.

In short, addition of hot meals, take away food, coffee bar, salad bar and barbecue with outside seating arrangements can be seen in updated cafe and the original serving area have been removed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have successfully identified the main features of the cafe before and after the redesign. You covered all key changes, such as the addition of the salad bar, coffee bar, and outdoor seating. However, the response lacks a clear overview or summary paragraph that highlights the most significant changes, which is essential for a high band score in Academic Task 1. While you mention the removal of the serving area, the report would benefit from a more analytical approach that groups information logically rather than just listing changes. The information is accurate, but the lack of a distinct overview limits the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression from the 'before' state to the 'after' state. You use some cohesive devices like 'Furthermore' and 'Following the redevelopment', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, but there are instances where the flow is slightly disrupted by repetitive sentence structures. To improve, try to vary your linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that guides the reader through the comparison of the two plans.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'redevelopment', 'occupied', and 'arrangements'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'hot meals items area' and 'besides the take-away food area'. These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. To improve, focus on using more precise terminology for describing spatial changes and ensure that your phrasing sounds natural in an academic context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Common issues include missing articles (e.g., 'Before redevelopment cafe had...', 'on east side of this area'), and subject-verb agreement errors (e.g., 'original serving area have been removed'). While these errors do not prevent the meaning from being understood, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency. Focusing on article usage and consistent verb tense agreement will significantly improve your accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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